Some thoughts on 'Boyhood'.

 - When I was just a baby boy myself -

This is not a review. I am no more qualified to act as a film cricket, but I did go to see Oscar-favourite film Boyhood which is being re-shown in cinemas thanks to the buzz generated from the Best Picture nomination and now I want to discuss it briefly...

For what it's worth, I thought it was brilliant. I went in with high expectations, which meant I couldn't but be both analytical and critical, but try as I might, I couldn't be cynical. Boyhood met my cynicism head on and won. In case you don't know, the movie's novelty comes from the fact that it was shot over twelve years, so the audience can view the actors growing older in real time. This avoids the use of prosthetics or make up which for me, no matter how accomplished, often require a suspension of disbelief which I invariably find somewhat jarring. It made me realise just how disconcerting I find the aging process on a very basic level, an experience akin to looking back at old photographs of myself and feeling slightly uncomfortable at the familiar yet forgotten face staring back at me or meeting up with the cousins after a substantial period of time an seeing how faces have stretched, expanded and even sprouted hairs or metal accouterments trying to pass as jewelry. I suppose this is a very human thing - unless its just me - all part of our aversion to growing old and hobbling towards death. The film is in fact remarkable for its (SPOILERS) lack of death. Although there are elements of tragedy present, the film is largely optimistic to the extent that it seemed too good to be true. I found myself struck with an unwavering sense of dread every time a character got into a car, crossed the road or was in an alcohol or drug-fueled environment. But I suppose it is more true to life to have a film where everything ends up OK in the end. Of course bad things happen but memories only last so long and new surprises and, perhaps most importantly, new people are just around the corner. This strikes me as an almost corny suggestion, yet still a refreshing one; we are so conditioned by the constant bombardments of narratives, fictional and factual, that we are always waiting for the 'event' or the big twist. 

Boyhood, is special because nothing happens, and everything fills the void. As a young man is shaped before our eyes, we (well me anyway) follow his journey and the pace allows for plenty of self-reflection and contemplation. I would challenge anyone not to see something of themselves up on the big screen. For some this could be seen as a slamming indictment of how formulaic our Western lives have become, so that they can all boil down to a set of milestones acting as a leveller when we strip away the idea that we are each our own special little snowflake, and the idea did cross my mind, but I prefer to latch on to the optimism of the movie. We have a shared experience but we are all constantly changing, and not at the same rate or in the same direction. I felt myself change on some minuscule level while watching the changes that had already happened to me played out before me. 

The comedy in the film has also stayed with me. There were no traditional 'jokes', as I saw it, scattered throughout to add some levity and in turn heighten the drama or tragedy, yet there were undeniably funny moments. I'd say this was due to the peculiar kind of humour that derives from familiarity. I have always thought that the best comedian would be the one who could do a specialised impression of the mother, father, teacher or significant other of everyone in the audience simultaneously. Everyone would be in stitches because the comedian had tapped into the familiar, in the way an observational comedian would try to do. In Boyhood, this familiarity is built and developed from the off so that the comedy is natural, as it would be with your friends or family.

Finally, the ending was perfect: full of optimism, potential and possibilities and it gave me a new reason to listen to Deep Blue by Arcade Fire again. My reaction to the end of the movie was not dissimilar to that of Interstellar, though the scale of the two movies is certainly vastly different, I felt overwhelmed by both. In Boyhood, I had watched an entire era in just three hours, and by the end I was glad to part of that world, and I walked home through the Dublin rain thinking about me own era in a sloppiliy sentimental way that I just don't do very often, and maybe I should, and maybe I will.

- Joe